Recap:

"They died in Azkaban, Draco. They're gone."

"You mean—"

"Yes," Snape sighed, patting his shoulder. "Don't bother coming to my class tomorrow."

And all he could say was, "Ok."

Chapter 3: Baby Blues

Harry yawned deeply, and rolled over, burying his face in Ginny's silky auburn locks. She moaned softly, but did not wake, and curled into him.

And then, in the blink of an eye, she was sitting up, her breath staggering to get out. Harry shot up next to her, immediately suffering from the same restriction.

"Hermione," Ginny gasped, clutching the front of her nightdress. "Ron!"

Before they knew it, they were in such a tight bear hug they could hardly breathe or move.

"When did you wake up?" Harry all but demanded, both excited and worried for his fated friends. "Are you alright? Were you hurt?"

"We're fine," Hermione laughed, grabbing his arms in an attempt to calm him. Of course she knew they would react this way, and still it made her laugh. "Really."

"They wouldn't let us near you for the longest time," Ginny said. "Not until Harry through a fit." Harry blushed madly, but didn't deny his actions.

"Yeah, they mentioned that," Ron said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked to Hermione, who couldn't help her coy smile. They had yet to notice that he and Hermione were holding hands, that they were together. "Do you know what happened?"

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, as if to ask, "Did he just ask us what happened?"

"We were wondering the same thing," Ginny said. "No one would tell us anything. All they said was you two were out cold." She wrinkled her nose, as if she'd just smelt rotten food, and added, "Malfoy was in there too. I couldn't believe they'd put him in a bed near you two. He probably almost died again."

Hermione sighed and smiled. So they didn't know about Malfoy being found with them. Perfect. Now they could tell them what little they knew and leave that minor fact out. What did it matter in the long run anyway?

"So?" Harry pressed.

"Well," Hermione began, but it was at that moment that Ginny finally noticed what had been so strange about them.

"You're together!" she exclaimed, tackling them into a hug. "I can't believe it! Finally!"

Harry smiled knowingly and patted his friend on the shoulder. There was no need to say anything. He knew how long Ron had fancied Hermione. It was only a matter of time before they got together.

"When did this happen?"

"Today," Hermione laughed, kissing Ron on the cheek. He blushed and pulled her closer. It still felt slightly strange that they were finally together, but not as strange as being apart. For so long they had both wanted the other, and now that they had them, there was no separating. Not ever. "There's something we should tell you."

Harry tensed and took Ginny's hand firmly in his.

"You should sit," Ron suggested, and then was silent, allowing Hermione to tell the tale. Their friends sat, nearly clinging to one another, as if that would protect them from the shocking nature of the truth.

"Let me just say first that we don't really know exactly what happened. And we're sorry for any lies we might have told you in the past, but…but we don't remember." She waited for them to comment, put their mouths were sealed shut. They were going to give her the benefit of the doubt, and listen to her before they said a word. "We were found by the lake. Someone, we don't know who, cast a spell. Dumbledore is sure it was neither of us, but there's no evidence of who it could have been…The spell," she sighed, "backfired. We lost a great deal of our memories."

"Your memories?" Ginny gasped. "How much?" What else could she say? This was the wizarding world, and here anything could go wrong. They were not surprised that it'd happened, only that it had happened to their friends. And with such dire consequences.

"That last memories we have are of a few weeks before sixth year finals. The entire summer is gone, as well as the first month of our seventh year…But that isn't our big news."

"I—" Ginny began, but stopped short when she realized she had nothing to say.

"There isn't an easy way to say this." She sucked in as much air as she could, letting it out in slow, even puffs. This was it. There was no more stalling. She wished she'd waited, talked things over with Ron first, before plunging ahead into the future. What was a couple of days in the grand scheme of things? She hadn't even contacted her parents yet to let them know she was alright! "I…We," she corrected, motioning her head in Ron's direction, "are going to be parents."

Harry's eyes lit up immediately, and he sprang to his feet, suffocating his friends with his arms. He was so excited for them, that he almost didn't notice Ginny's apprehension.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"It doesn't make any sense," she blurted out, almost angrily. "Just last week you were saying how you thought you'd be a virgin until you were twenty! And now you're pregnant!"

"Please don't be angry, Gin," Hermione sighed. "I really don't know what to tell you. We don't remember what happened. I don't know why we never told you we were together for so long, but we're telling you now."

"What do you mean, 'for so long'?"

"I'm three months pregnant."

"Three months!" Ginny spat. Harry went to her side and attempted to calm her, to pull her into a hug, but she only pushed him away as if he were the one she was upset with. "I cannot believe this! Is this…" She rose off the bed, pointing a jagged finger at her best friend. "Is this the thing you were going to tell me the night you two were taken to the infirmary? That you've been screwing my brother for God knows how long and now you're pregnant with his child?"

"I…I guess so," Hermione murmured, trying desperately to keep eye contact. Why did all of her friends have to have such fiery tempers?

"You guess so!"

"Yes!" Now she was fed up. Where did Ginny get off yelling at her like that! She'd just been through a traumatic experience and found out she was pregnant. She did not need to be berated by her friends too. "How the hell am I supposed to justify my actions when I don't know what the hell I did! I made some mistakes, Ginny. Clearly I'm paying for them, or have you not been listening? I was cursed, I lost my memory, and I'm three months pregnant, but as far as I remember I'm still a damn virgin! So you can quit your little poor me act and start being the friend I need, because if I don't have you then I don't know how I'm going to get through this! I need you more than you know and all you can do is yell at me for something I don't even remember doing! For all we know I was forcedto lie!"

"By who!" Ginny retorted, her bottom lip quivering with the threat of oncoming tears. But she wasn't going to give in that easily.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she hissed sourly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed." She stalked over to the door, only stopping in the doorway for an instant to say, "Maybe you'll have come to your senses in the morning," and then was gone.

Ron and Harry stared after her, their eyes shifting to Ginny as a thick silence settled. Ron muttered something about "unbelievable little sisters", then he too was gone. For a long while neither said a word, though there were a million and one things floating through both their heads. How to voice their thoughts, however, was the challenge. The love they shared for one another conflicted with the feelings they had on the current situation. Harry was elated for his friends and wished them nothing but the best, while Ginny was bitter about the fact that she'd been left in the dark and lied to by her best friend.

"I think you crossed the line," Harry finally said.

Ginny was so appalled she couldn't speak.

"Hermione came in here looking for her friends, and you turned your back on her. She and Ron need our support and friendship, not revenge for something as silly as keeping a secret."

"But I—"

"You were awful, Ginny. I expected better from you."

"Don't talk to me like you're my mother," she sneered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I wouldn't have to if you knew how to treat people like human beings. Good night, Ginny."

"Draco!" Pansy cried, jumping into his arms as he walked casually into the common room. For being so late, the room was surprisingly full and bustling with Slytherins. He wondered what kept them up, but he wasn't curious enough to ask. After the night he'd had what he needed was a good, long night's sleep in his bed. Alone. Not that he didn't enjoy the many female companions he shared his bed with, but tonight wasn't the night for that. He had neither the energy nor the patience to deal with any one of them.

"Shove off, Parkinson," he scoffed. "I'm not in the mood for clingy half-wit fuck buddies."

Her face paled to bone white, her mouth jabbering on without forming a single word. The room around them plunged into an abyss of silence, eyes shifting through the room, grasping for an understanding of the situation before them.

"When did you wake up?" Goyle asked from his place on the big leather sofa by the fire. He hadn't bothered to rise upon his friend's entrance. In fact, he'd hardly given him a second glance. Draco had a strong, nagging suspicion that his absence was not fully missed by the entire house.

"An hour ago," he said shortly. "Looks like your moment of glory is up, friend."

Goyle rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the pajama-clad blonde at his side, her spindly long legs crossed over his lap. Draco surprised himself, yet again, with the amount of self-control he possessed. Not only had Goyle tried to take his place as master of Slytherin House, but he'd stolen one of his more commendable bed partners. Not that she was overly worthy to him, but the idea of someone taking something of his was almost unbearable.

Of course he'd been aware for some time that his standing in the house was slipping. More and more students regarded him less as a threat and more as a nuisance every day. Had his short absence been the final kick out the door? Was he no longer feared, but laughed at behind closed doors?

He shivered inwardly at the thought, and made his way for his room. He'd worry about this quasi-rebellion in the morning. Pansy attempted to follow him, only to kiss the door that was slammed in her face.

The shift in power was no news to her, and neither was Draco's dislike for her and all others. Since the end of last term he hadn't been himself, and Pansy figured this was when things started to change. He paid less and less attention to the house and everything he used to hold dear, until one day he didn't notice even the most blatant disrespect, brushing it by like a rude wind. And then he was out the door, off to his new life, a world of intricate secrets no one even tried to speculate about.

She sighed sorrowfully and headed off to her own room. Perhaps she would have the answers someday, but for now she would have to be satisfied to sit alone in the dark.

"Nothing I'm not used to," she muttered to herself, then shut off the light.

"Don't worry about her," Ron said, rubbing Hermione's belly in soothing slow circles. He'd managed to catch her seconds before she ascended the Girls' Dormitory staircase. They were cozied up on the couch now, curled together like a long-time couple. "She'll come around soon enough."

"That's not what I'm worried about," she retorted almost bitterly, as if he'd purposely insulted her. "I think I have a little more to worry about than what Ginny thinks about me. We still have to figure out how all of this happened. And—" She lowered her voice significantly, leaning in to his ear. "—we haven't the faintest idea how Malfoy is involved."

"He's not involved," Ron snorted. "He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I mean, what other explanation can you think of?"

"Yeah, well," she scoffed, "Dumbledore seems to think—"

"Dumbledore wasn't there. Besides, if we don't regain our memories in a few months then he'll give us a potion for it. Problem solved."

"I suppose you're right. It's just…It's so hard to picture the three of us found together by the lake."

"I know what you mean," he muttered. "I've been trying to forget that minor detail."

"Minor! Ron! He could be—"

"If there's any way you would even begin to believe that then I think you need to get your head checked."

"Dumbledore seemed perfectly adamant about it."

"Well, like I said before, he wasn't there. What's he know?"

"When has he ever been wrong, Ron?"

"Hermione!" he baulked, and shrunk back as if her words had scalded him somehow. "Why are you even still thinking about that! In what universe could that ever happen?"

"Ok, ok," she sighed, her hands raised in surrender. "Forget I said anything."

"Don't be upset, 'Mione," he cooed, kissing at her neck. She remained rigid, with her arms crossed over her chest. "I just don't want you worrying over something so useless. There's no sense in getting worked up for no reason." She held stiff however. That is, until his long fingers made their way across her still-taut belly. She clamped her mouth shut, holding her breath, but it proved to be impossible and she burst into a fit of laughter.

"You're such a pain," Hermione breathed, her arms wrapped around her stomach in an effect to ease the tingling sensation.

"Yeah," he laughed. "But you still love me."

"And you're damn lucky I do."

"'Mione?"

"Hmm?" She looked up at him, her head now resting on his lap as he played absently with her soft brown curls.

"How are we going to tell our parents?"

"I don't know, Ron," she yawned. "Can we discuss it in the morning?"

"Sure." He kissed the top of her head and eased back into the soft cushions. She had just dozed off, and he was right behind her, when Harry came quietly down the Boys' stairs, his face drawn, his eyes hollow. "Rough night, huh?"

"I'll say," Harry groaned, plopping into the chair beside his friends. "Your sister can be so unbelievable."

"I tried to warn you," Ron laughed. "She's just like mum."

"Yeah, well, all I know is that she better get over it soon. Hermione's going to need her."

"Thanks Harry."

"For what?"

"For not flipping out like Ginny did…I don't know how we got ourselves into this mess, but, you know what?"

"It doesn't matter," Harry answered with a knowing smile.

"Exactly."

Hermione ran her hands over her belly, a soft smile playing on her plump pink lips. She turned sideways in the full-length mirror, bending back slightly to accentuate her non-existent bump. The lilac sundress she wore did nothing to hide her figure, hugging her curves in all the right places. It would be a few months before this dress wouldn't fit anymore, and by then it would be winter and she'd have no use for it.

When she first found out, the prospect of becoming a mother—and such a young one at that—had terrified her completely. But, over the past couple of days, she'd grown accustomed to the idea, and was even feeling giddy. She knew that with a baby came a boatload of responsibilities, but, at the same time, it could be the most exciting experience of her life. She was to have a little life forming inside of her, a child that was half hers. A little witch or wizard that she could pass all of her knowledge and skill on to. It didn't matter if it was a boy or a girl, only that it was healthy with all ten fingers and toes. It didn't even matter if he or she was a squib with no magical abilities whatsoever, though she highly doubted that, what with the parentage they had. A muggle-born witch and a pureblooded wizard. There really was no way her child couldn't be magical, and even great. Perhaps she was carrying in her at that very moment the next Dumbledore. The idea was almost too much for her to handle and she erupted into uncontrollable giggles.

It seemed she couldn't stop laughing, until she felt a disturbance in the air, and spun on her heals to come face to face with the father of her yet-to-be-born baby.

"I told you not to apparate into my bathroom," she scolded, but, nonetheless, fell into his arms. He rolled his eyes and sighed, though couldn't help his smile. He too had become comfortable with the idea of being a father. Though he was nowhere near as excited as Hermione was. "I missed you." She kissed him full on the mouth, her fingers drifting into his soft just-showered hair.

"I think you should tell your parents soon."

"What about your parents?"

"I thought we agreed not—"

"I meant, how are they?"

"That's what I came over to tell you." He took a deep breath and kissed her forehead. "They're dead."

Draco's eyes snapped open and he sat up, surveying his room to determine the time of night. It had been such a vivid dream; her in his arms, soft and warm and loving him. It had been like nothing he'd ever felt before. And he'd—dare he think it—liked how it felt.

He fell back onto his pillows, sighing loudly.

"Well, that was unexpected."

Well, there you go. A nice long third chapter to my new story :) This is the length I'm going to stay at for the rest of it, unless something comes up and I only have half a chapter done and can't get on my computer for a while. Hopefully I'll be getting a summer job soon, so who knows how much time I'll have for this.

Well, I hope everyone liked this chapter. I cracked open a few doors, but we are nowhere near getting inside the rooms, heehee. Be patient, I like to take my time getting through things.

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